Beauty and the Beast
by Kennie Gajos
Summary: UPDATED! Beauty and the Beast legend crossed over with BtVS. A trip to France to locate a Slayer goes horribly awry for a member of the Scooby Gang.
1. The Lone Biker

Beauty and the Beast

By Kennie Gajos

Disclaimer 

I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or any of it's affiliates (except some merchandise and some lovely, lovely autographs!).  That honour belongs to 20th Century Fox Film Productions (and by extension News Corporation), Warner Brothers Film Production, UPN, Kazui Enterprises, Sandollar, Lazy Dave Productions and Mutant Enemy. I make no profits from the writing of or display of this fanfic.

Moral copyright is extended to all original characters and concepts created by me, the author, within the confines of this fanfic.  To the uninitiated this means you must first seek permission before you play with my toys.

A/N 

Just a small chapter to begin with and okay, I realise that the French translations are shaky but it's the best I can do with my teeny knowledge of French and a translation dictionary.  It was originally posted with no translation, just a note that there was an all-English version available if people wanted it emailed to them but after some complaints I changed my mind.  The translations will now be marked with a * etc and posted in the text below the actual chapter.

But don't worry, it's not all going to be French the whole way.  That'll gradually disappear after the first two chapters.

Also, fifty points and some virtual chocolate to the first person who can tell me who they think the biker is and be correct (No cheating!)!

Enjoy the fic and please don't forget to read and review.  It gives me a happy!  

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Prologue 

Beauty isn't always skin deep.  And ugliness can sometime be found in a heart rather than a face.  Some of the worst books I have ever read have had pretty covers.  I once knew a girl who was a rarity.  She was as beautiful on the inside as she was on the out.  And she was beautiful.  She was one of those people that flit briefly through people's life, showing them that they can be so much more than they believe, and then disappearing.  

But she believed that she was unworthy.  She had done a terrible thing and she tended to focus only on that, not the good things she had done before and after it.

It took me a long time, but I found out where she went when she left me.

*           *           *

In a little village in the middle of France, time virtually stood still.  Every day was like the one the one before.  But the village had a secret.  One that only the oldest of the oldest villagers knew.  And then one day she arrived.  

It was a market day, filled with bustling crowds and loud voices like many before it.  But above the noise came the roaring of an engine, which grew ever loader and louder until at last a motorbike came into view.  People scattered before it like sheep as it purred along the street before coming to a halt in front of the fountain in the Main Square.  The townsfolk stared as the rider turned the impressive machine off and stretched.  Suddenly, curves that hadn't been evident before came into play and it became obvious even to the village idiot that the biker was female.

She climbed off the motorcycle and looked around the crowd.

"Bonjour, est-ce que n'importe qui parle Américain?"  She asked haltingly.  *__

The crowd muttered and murmured to itself before a young girl pushed herself to the front.

"I do," she said in a heavy French accent.  "My name is Claudette."

"Do you have a mechanic in the village?  My friend's car broke down about five miles away."  The biker asked.

Claudette nodded.  "Down the road and to your left."

"Thanks."  The biker turned and left and the crowd began to disperse.

Five minutes later, the engine of the motorbike fired into life again and the biker left village, a tow-truck in pursuit.

In just a few minutes they were beside a small car, abandoned by the roadside.  The biker peered inside.

"That's weird."  She said."

"Ce qui?" asked the mechanic. **__

"My friend has gone.  I told him I'd be back as soon as possible.  Why would he go?  Where would he go?"  The biker said, mainly to herself.

"En français?"  __

"Sorry."  The biker apologised as she removed her helmet and opened the car door.

The mechanic gaped as her beauty was revealed.

"Er…Mon ami est allé et je ne sais pas pourquoi ou où." __

The mechanic shrugged and then laughed. "Peut-être l'animal l'a pris. "  __

"Huh?"  The young woman asked. __

"Il est juste une histoire dite pour effrayer nos enfants. Un animal qui vit comme un homme et mange de mauvais enfants."  The mechanic explained. __

The biker's brow furrowed as she ran a translation through her mind.  "Je vois. Pouvez-vous remorquer la voiture au village pour moi pour satisfaire?"

"Oui mademoiselle."  The mechanic nodded and then set to work hitching up the car to his tow truck.

The biker moved away from the scene and looked around at the picturesque scenery.  To her right, a tall forest stood, the branches of its many trees swaying gently in the wind.  Her eyes narrowed and she focused on the forest, rising up onto her tiptoes to get a better look.  There it was again!  Through a small gap in the sea of green the turret of a tower was just visible.  

"Tout le madamoiselle fait."  The mechanic said, breaking into her thoughts.  She turned back to him as he stood, wiping his oily hands on a rag.  "Ne vous inquiétez pas, votre ami vous attend probablement en arrière au village. "  

The biker nodded and replaced her helmet before kick-starting her motorbike.  "You're probably right."  She said over the roar of the engine.  "There isn't a Hellmouth for over a hundred miles.  What kind of trouble could Giles get into?"

It just went to show, Giles reflected.  It didn't matter if you were sat on top of a Hellmouth or not, trouble just happened to the members of the Scooby Gang.

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A/N 

Okay, time for the translations!

*    "Hello, does anyone speak American?"  She asked haltingly in French.__

**   "What?" asked the mechanic. __

"My friend has gone.  I told him I'd be back as soon as possible.  Why would he go?  Where would he go?"  The biker said, mainly to herself.

"In French?"__

"Sorry."  The biker apologised as she removed her helmet and opened the car door.

The mechanic gaped as her beauty was revealed.

"Er…My friend has gone and I don't know where or why." 

The mechanic shrugged and then laughed. "Maybe the animal has taken him."  __

"Huh?"  The young woman asked. __

"It's just a story told to scare our children.  An animal that lives like a man and eats bad children."  The mechanic explained. __

The biker's brow furrowed as she ran a translation through her mind.  "I see.  Can you tow the car to the village for me please?"

"Oui mademoiselle."  The mechanic nodded and then set to work hitching up the car to his tow truck.__

The biker moved away from the scene and looked around at the picturesque scenery.  To her right, a tall forest stood, the branches of its many trees swaying gently in the wind.  Her eyes narrowed and she focused on the forest, rising up onto her tiptoes to get a better look.  There it was again!  Through a small gap in the sea of green the turret of a tower was just visible.  

"All done madamoiselle." The mechanic said, breaking into her thoughts.  She turned back to him as he stood, wiping his oily hands on a rag.  "Don't worry, your friend is probably waiting for you back at the village."

Oh, and another thing… small purple button to your left.  See it?  Please click on it.  Otherwise I don't know if I should keep bothering or not.  Flames don't worry me.  Honest!


	2. Looking for Friends

Beauty and the Beast

By Kennie Gajos

A/N 

I'd just like to take a few seconds to say a humongous great big 'THANK YOU!!' to everyone who reviewed the story.  It's not my usual style of writing so the reviews mean twice as much to me.

That said, thank you once more for reviewing, enjoy the fic… and it's not Buffy!

Once more the sound of a motorbike was heard within the confines of the village.  This time the bike stopped outside the inn, whilst the tow truck continued on to the garage.  All eyes were on the newcomer as she went into the inn and then returned to the street, this time without her helmet.  A muted gasp went up among the crowd as they registered her beauty and several young girls eyes narrowed in jealousy.  

Blissfully ignorant of the stares, the biker moved gracefully along the street towards the garage.  There she picked up the luggage from the car and then returned to the room she had booked in the inn.

The room was small but comfortable with twin beds, one for her and one for Giles.  It had a view of the Main Square and it was this that drew the biker.  She settled there, watchful for a familiar presence among the unfamiliar scene.

Giles thought back on the circumstances that had lead him to his incarceration.  After a few moments on his own at the side of the road he had spied what appeared to be the turret of a tower in the middle of a forest.  Believing it to be closer than the village, he had set out on foot to ask for help.  It wasn't until he got much closer to the tower that he realised that it was part of a mostly derelict castle.  He had almost given up then, but believed that he might as well continue now that he had come so far.  How he now wished that he had decided otherwise.

After wrestling the gates open, he had continued into the castle, which had obviously been exquisite in its day.  Once inside, he had called out repeatedly but no-one had answered.  Thinking that the castle was abandoned he had decided to have a quick look around before heading back to the car.  It was then that it had happened.  A demon had attacked him and whilst they had been fighting, knocked him unconscious.  He had awoken alone and locked in the cell he currently occupied.

It was late when the biker awoke with a start.  She hadn't meant to fall asleep, but she was still jetlagged from the flight.  She stretched and stood up intending to change out of her leathers.  She grinned as she remembered the first time she had ever gotten on a bike.  It was last time she and Giles had visited England.  They had gone to his house and whilst exploring the ground she had come across an old motorbike stored in a barn.  For some reason it appealed to her and she had pestered Giles into teaching her how to drive it.

Giles!  Had he arrived yet?

Throwing on some clothes, she hurried downstairs and into the crowded bar.  All conversation ceased at her abrupt entry.

"Est-ce que n'importe qui a vu un homme anglais? "  She asked, taking advantage of the silence.

The people in the bar responded with a varied mix of headshakes and "Non"'s. *

She frowned and went out into the street, where she took an avid interest in the passers-by.  One face in particular invoked a memory and she pounced on its possessor.  

"Hey, Claudine isn't it?"  She asked.

The young girl giggled and shook her head.  "Claudette."  She said.

The biker winced.  "Sorry.  Listen, I don't suppose that you've seen an Englishman anywhere have you?"

Claudette shook her head.  "You are the only new person to come to our village."

The biker frowned.  "Where _is_ he?"  She asked herself before having a crazy thought.  "Listen, when I went to pick him up I thought I saw a tower in the middle of the forest.  Do you think he might have gone there?"

"I do not know."  Said Claudette with a shrug.  "We do not go there.  The castle is dangerous.  Except the children sometimes, but they never go in."

"Why not?"

"We tell them that that is where the monster lives.  They dare each other to go see it."

"I see."  The biker said thoughtfully.

"What do you see?"  Claudette asked.

"Knowing Giles, he probably saw it and went to ask for help.  And knowing Giles, he's probably in danger."

The biker ran back to her motorbike and climbed onboard, not bothering to fetch her helmet.  She revved the engine and pulled away from the kerb, heading for the forest.

Once she had reached the outskirts of the forest she came to a halt and turned the engine off.  She closed her eyes and concentrated, muttering under her breath.  She opened her eyes to find a small green light hovering in front of her.  Grinning, Willow started the engine again and followed the light into the forest.

Giles shivered as the cold seeped into the marrow of his bones.  While daylight had still prevailed the stone of his cell had seemed to retain some warmth, but with the setting of the sun the warmth had fled and the temperature in the tiny room had dropped further and further.

A noise from the other side attracted his attention.  Had the demon returned to kill him?  Suddenly a small green light entered the room via the keyhole in the door and circled around him before dissipating.

"Willow?"  Giles called out.

A muffled voice responded from the other side of the door.  "Giles?  You in there?"

"Willow, what are you doing here?"  Giles asked.

"Rescue mission."  Willow replied.  "Stand back."

Giles complied, moving as far away from the door as possible.  Suddenly, the door began to vibrate and then just as suddenly it stopped.

"What are you doing here?"  Giles heard the deep voice of the demon from the other side of the door.

"Leave her alone!"  He shouted.

Willow stood proudly in the darkness, the torch she had held in her hand in pieces at the far side of the dungeon.

"I came to rescue my friend."  She said defiantly.

"He is my prisoner."  The voice came again, from a different side of the room.

Gradually, Willow's eyes began to adjust to the darkness, a thin sliver of moonlight that came from a barred window allowing her to distinguish rough shapes.

"He has rights like any other human being."  She informed the owner of the voice.

The voice laughed humourlessly.  "Rights!"  He said contemptuously.  "She speaks to _me_ of rights.  Don't I have rights too?"

"I'm sure you do."  Willow said coldly.  "Will you let him go?"

"No."

"Why?"

"He is a trespasser.  You think I don't see the children?  '_Touch the monster's gates_!'  He came to poke and pry and stare and then he attacked me."

"You hit me first!"  Giles called out from inside his cell.

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Enough!"  Willow shouted, exasperated at the show of childishness.  "There must be some way I can convince you to set him free."  She said, appealing to the voice.

"You want to take his place?"  The voice said an offhand manner.

Willow paused, evaluating the enormity of what she might be agreeing to.  "If I did… would you let him go?"  She asked.

"Willow, no!"  Giles shouted.

"You, you would do that?"  The puzzlement in the voice was complete.  "You would willingly agree to stay here with me for the rest of your life in order to set this man free?"

"Yes."

"Who is he to inspire such feeling in you?"

"He's a very good friend."  Willow explained.

"Willow, I forbid you to do this."  Giles roared.

Willow turned to the door.  "Giles, I have to.  You're needed more than I am.  Besides, I can still help from here… I'll just be doing it from a distance."  She turned back to the voice and stepped into the moonlight.  "What do you say?"

There was silence for a moment and then, "You must promise to stay here forever."  He said.

Willow opened her mouth to agree and then realised with a shock that she hadn't even seen her captor's face.  "Come into the light."  She said instead.

Footsteps sounded and then she was joined in the ray of moonlight by a demon.

He was about nine feet tall and covered in fur.  He walked on his hind legs, which were shaped like a wolf's, his face was an odd mixture of lion, horse, goat and wolf and…. and he had a _tail_!  

Willow stared at him, horrified at the thought of what she was about to agree to.  How could she spend the rest of her life locked in a remote castle, with only a hideous demon for company?  Shuddering she took a deep breath and prepared to give him her answer.

"I agree."  She said in a voice that only shook a little.

"Done!"  The demon roared, moving past her and throwing open the door to Giles' cell.

Giles rushed out and straight to where Willow stood frozen and bathed in moonlight.

"Willow, you can't do this."  He said urgently.  "Leave while you can.  Fetch Buffy and the others."

"Too late."  The demon said, seizing Giles by the neck and dragging him out of the dungeons.

Willow heard Giles shouting all the way up the stairs and then the door slammed shut behind him and the demon and she heard him no longer.  Deliberately clearing her mind of all thought so she wouldn't be able to think about what she had done, she moved like an automaton into Giles' cell and sank onto the floor.

She wasn't sure of how long it was before the demon returned.  She looked up and there he stood in the doorway to her cell, blocking out the meagre light coming from the main room of the dungeon.  

"I've come to show you to your room."  The demon said.  Was it her imagination or did he sound a little sheepish?  It must be her imagination.

Willow frowned.  "What do you mean?"

"Do you want to stay here for the rest of your life?"  The demon asked roughly.

Willow shrugged.  "I've been worse places."

"Follow me."  The demon demanded.

Willow sighed in resignation and did just that.

Willow hadn't really had a chance to view the castle when she had arrived, as she had been so intent on finding Giles that nothing had registered.  Now she devoted all of her attention to her surroundings in an effort to block out the thought of her future.  With a start, she realised that the demon was talking to her.

"…Anywhere except my private chambers.  They are strictly forbidden, is that understood?"

"Yes."  Willow replied automatically.

The demon sighed to himself.  "I hope that you will be happy here."

"I doubt it."  Willow said, not really listening.

The demon growled and flung open a door.  "Your room."  He snarled.

"Thank you."  Willow said, moving to walk past him and into her new room.  

The demon grabbed her arm and halted her progress.  "Dinner will be served in the dining room at nine.  Your attendance is mandatory!"

Willow wrenched her arm out of his grasp and stalked into her room, slamming the door in his face.

Willow barely glanced at her surroundings, choosing to kick over a small table instead.

"The nerve!"  She fumed.  "Commanding me to turn up and beg for scraps at his table?  Just who does he think he is?"  Suddenly the anger drained from her system and she slumped onto the bed.  "My captor, that's who he is."  The events of the past half hour caught up with her all at once and she buried her face in her hands and began to sob.

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It's translation time again folks!

*    "Has anyone seen an English man? "  She asked, taking advantage of the silence.

The people in the bar responded with a varied mix of headshakes and no's.


	3. On Speaking Terms

Beauty and the Beast

By Kennie Gajos

A/N 

Well, as per ordered, a prompt update!!  It's not actually Spike's bike (that was destroyed along with the rest of Sunnydale!) it's one that Willow found at Giles' place.  Spike is cool though!

The demon isn't actually Oz.  If it was then they would have recognised him by now.  It's an OC that I came up with when trying to make the story fit to the Buffyverse.

Anyway, I'm waffling.  Time for the fic!

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Willow paced in her room, awaiting the explosion that was sure to come after she failed to make an appearance for dinner.  Sure enough, she wasn't disappointed.

The demon banged fiercely on the doors.  "I told you to come down for dinner!"  He raged.

"I'm not hungry."  Willow shouted back, grateful for the spell she had put on the doors to ensure that they couldn't be broken.

The demon snarled.  "Do you want to starve to death?"

"Suits me!"

"Why are you being so stubborn?"  The demon shouted, banging on the door once again.

"Hmmm, perhaps because I'm the lifelong prisoner of a _demon_?"  Willow shouted back sarcastically.

The demon growled.  "I am _not_ a demon."

"Well you sure fooled me!"

"Are you coming down to dinner?"  The demon asked.

"What do you think?"

"Fine!"  He bellowed.  "Then you will not eat at all!"

Willow waited until she had heard his footsteps recede into the distance before she sagged onto her bed.

"Well, that went well."  She said to herself before jumping at the sound of her cell phone.

"I forgot I had that!"  She exclaimed, digging into her pocket to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Willow!"  Giles exclaimed.

"Will, what's going on?"  Asked Xander.

"Giles said something about a demon?"  Buffy butted in.

"We conference called."  Angel said.

Willow was overwhelmed.  "Wow."

"So what's the what?"  Buffy asked.

"Giles got kidnapped and I went to rescue him and traded me for him because he can be of more help on the outside, I mean I can help from here but he wouldn't be able to so now I'm a prisoner."

"I told them that."  Giles informed her.

"Yeah, we wanted to know what's happened to the Willster since."  Xander explained.

"And tell you that we're coming to break you out."  Said Buffy.

Willow frowned.  "You can't break me out.  I made a promise."

"To a demon."  Said Xander.

"Actually, demon law is harder to break than human law."  Gunn intervened.

"Angel have you got us on speaker phone?"  Asked Buffy.

"Yes."

"Oh."

"Gee thanks."

"A little warning would have been pleasant."

"Hey guys!"  Willow broke over the top of the voices.  "I don't think he's a demon.  At least he said he wasn't.  And he sounded all offended when I called him one."

"But he's got you all locked up in a teeny cell."  Buffy said.

"Actually I'm in a pretty nice room."  Willow told her with a glance at her surroundings.

"Oh."

"But I bet he's not feeding you, huh Will?"  Asked Xander.

"Well, he told me to come down for dinner but I refused to.  We just had a fight about it."

"He hit you?"  Angel sounded as though he was preparing to come to France and kick arse.

"Um, no.  We just shouted at each other from different sides of a door."

"So he's treating you quite well then?"  Giles asked, sounding amazed.

Willow thought about it.  "Yeah.  I guess he is.  All things considered.  I mean, he's got a bit of a temper, but when he's around so have I.  Maybe we just rub each other up."

There was a brief silence and then…

"Okay, ew."

"I so did not need that mental image."

"I concur wholeheartedly."

Willow giggled.  "You guys have the most disgusting minds!"

"So what do you want us to do?"  Angel asked.

"Well…" Willow thought about it.  "I guess you should, y'know just hold off for the moment.  And stay in contact y'know.  I'll let you know how it goes and you let me know if you need my help on anything.  Oh!  Speaking of help, have you found that new Slayer yet Giles?"

"Yes."  Said Giles.  "Her name's Claudette Rainier.  I'm sending her to London tomorrow and then I'm going to Paris to see if I can locate that other one we were talking about."

"Cool."  Said Willow.

"What flight is she going to be on?"  Buffy asked.

"You just wanna go to Disneyland."  Joked Xander at the same time.

Willow's battery beeped.

"Uh, guys, my cell phone's dying."  Willow told them.  "Giles, can you drop off my stuff before you leave?"

"Of c-"

The battery beeped once more and then the phone went dead.  Willow looked at it for a moment and then shrugged and placed it on the dusty bedside cabinet.

She took a closer look around her new home.  Sure, it was exquisitely furnished but it showed many signs of neglect.  All of the surfaces were dusty, the bedclothes were damp and the curtains were ragged.  She scrumpled her nose in distaste.  Some serious cleaning was needed.

Willow peeked outside.  The coast was clear!  Moving quickly but quietly, she made her way downstairs and then set about discovering the location of the kitchen.

It was there that the demon found her a few minutes later.

"I thought you were not hungry?"  He growled menacingly.

"I'm not."  Willow informed him.  Her stomach growled unconvincingly.  "I just came to get some stuff to clean my room.  It's filthy.  In fact, this whole place is falling to pieces."

"So?"

"So it's dangerous.  I'm surprised you haven't done anything about it."  Willow filled a kettle and placed it on the old fashioned stove.

"Why should I?"  The demon asked.  

Willow frowned.  "Fine.  If you won't, I will!"  She said.  "I have to live here too now and I'm not living somewhere that's crumbling around my ears!"

That said she casually waved a hand at a large crack in the wall and with a shudder that reverberated around the castle it sealed itself.

The demon roared.  "What was that!"  He demanded to know.

"Magic."  Willow explained.  "I'm a witch."

The demon roared again.  "Get out of my sight!  Out!  Get out!"

Shocked and a little scared at his sudden rage, Willow ran blindly out of the kitchen.

Left alone in the kitchen, the demon paced to and fro.  

A witch!  Another of the same kind of the one who had done this to him in the first place.  And to think that he had thought that she might be the one to undo the spell!  Why had he even bothered to dream in the first place?  She was so beautiful and he, he…

He caught sight of his reflection in the whistling kettle and threw it roughly to one side with a snarl.

He was so _ugly_.

By the time Willow began to take note of her surroundings she was completely lost.

Why had he reacted so badly to her doing magic?  Granted, some people did, but that was mainly _humans_ and he was a demon for Christ's sake! 

Upset, Willow decided to carry on in the direction she was heading, reasoning that sooner or later she would find her way.

The demon deflated even more as he continued to think.

Perhaps she was an innocent.  It wasn't her fault after all, she had only been trying to repair the castle.  And she was right.  It _wasn't_ a fit place for her to live.  And they had almost had a conversation before…

He set off in search of her, following her scent.

Willow opened another door and found herself in a room that had been completely wrecked.  All of the furniture was broken and claw marks marked every surface and soft furnishing.  With a gasp she moved further into the room.  A tattered painting above the mantelpiece caught her attention and she walked over to it, grasping various pieces and trying to fit them together into some kind of order so that she could make out the subject.  It was a young man.  A _handsome_ young man.  Willow gazed at him, attempting to make sense of what she was seeing but her attention was distracted by her shadow falling on the painting.  Willow frowned.  There wasn't a light source behind her.

She turned to face the opposite wall.  A lone candle burned there, in a glass case.  Power emanated from it.  It drew Willow like a moth.  She wasn't even aware of moving, but suddenly she was in front of it.  She pressed a hand to the glass and stared into the hypnotic flame.  A vision of her captor flickered in the dancing flame.  Willow pressed closer and watched a droplet of wax begin to fall in extremely slow motion.

"Wow."  She breathed.

A sound from the doorway distracted her and she glanced towards it, only to see a fuming demon standing there.

"Why would you get upset with me for doing magic when you've got some serious mojo working for you here?"  She asked him, looking back to the candle.  Another vision of the demon appeared in the centre of the candle and then disappeared.  The penny dropped.

"Oh."  She breathed.  "It isn't working for you, is it?  It's working against you."  She frowned.  "Why don't you just blow it out?"  She asked.

"When it goes out I will die."  The demon informed her.

"Well that sucks."

One half of the demon's mouth lifted slightly.  "That is describing the situation lightly."

Willow moved away from the candle and towards the demon.  "So… I'm Willow."

"I know.  I am Thiery."

Willow nodded.  "Well, I'm gonna go… clean my room."

Thiery moved out of the doorway so that she could pass by.

"This is my room."  He informed her.  "Do not come in here again."

Willow's eyes widened and she turned to say something but was forestalled by Thiery's door closing in her face.

"Huh!"  She exclaimed and stalked away.


	4. Prison Visits

Beauty and the Beast

By Kennie Gajos

A/N 

I took onboard what everyone was saying about wanting the English translations of the French conversations and they've now been posted underneath the chapters.  I hope that that makes everything much clearer for people.

In answer to some of the questions I've been asked yes, Spike is all ghosty in Wolfram and Hart but because only the people within W&H know of his existence, the same rules apply here.  And the reason why I picked Willow as the focus of the story is that it seemed to me that Willow and Dawn were about the only two who wouldn't slay their way out of the situation.  And Dawn had wound up in the same sort of situation as Willow then about 20 people would have gone charging to France in order to slay her way out of it.

Anyway, have fun, enjoy the fic and please, please, PLEASE review!

Kennie

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Willow was in the middle of a deep and peaceful sleep when a loud banging on the front door disturbed her.  A distant roar roused her still further and she got out of bed and headed downstairs. 

Unfortunately Thiery had beaten her there.

"What are _you_ doing back here?"  He snarled at a hapless Giles.

Giles squared up to him.  "I've come to see Willow."

"You are not welcome here.  Get out!"  Thiery roared, slamming the door in Giles' face.

Breathing heavily, he turned to return upstairs and make sure Willow hadn't awaken only to find her standing behind him with her arms crossed.

"Last time I checked, I lived here too."  She reminded him.  "Can't I have visitors?"

"You are my prisoner!"  Thiery growled.

"Even prisoners have visits."  Willow reminded him.  "Besides, I asked Giles to drop my stuff off before he goes."

Some of Thiery's scowl lifted.  "He's going?"

Willow nodded.  "He has to go to Paris.  Now if you'll move I can get my stuff. Oh now what?"

Thiery's scowl had returned.  "How did you speak to him?"

"I have a cell phone.  My friends called me last night to see how I was."

"What's a… cell phone?"  Thiery asked.

Willow frowned.  "Just how long have you been locked up in here?"

Thiery concentrated.  "Since… 1746."

Giles began banging on the door again.

"You've, uh, missed a lot."  Willow said.  "Move please."

Thiery moved to one side.  Willow opened the door and was promptly pulled into a hug by Giles.  Thiery growled and he and Giles glared at each other over Willow's head.

"Willow are you okay?"  Giles demanded, pulling back so that she could answer.

Willow smiled up at him.  "I'm fine.  Honestly!  A little hungry but I'll survive."

Thiery made a contented sound not unlike a purr and Giles narrowed his eyes at him.

"Are you sure?"  He asked.  "Because we all talked about it last night after you went and we've decided that if you want to leave we'll make sure it happens."

Thiery growled again and pulled Willow behind him.  "We made a deal.  She stays."

"It's not your decision!"  Giles shouted at him.

"Yes it is!"  Thiery roared back.

Willow frowned.  "No it isn't."

Both men turned to her.  Giles looked hopeful and Thiery… Thiery looked upset and angry.

"It's my decision."  She said.  "Thiery is right.  We made a deal."

Thiery snorted at Giles who merely looked upset.

"Willow, are you sure?"

Willow nodded firmly.

"Well if you're certain.  Claudette!"  Giles called behind him.

The same Claudette who'd helped Willow out the day before came into sight, carrying Willow's suitcase and duffel bag of supplies.  Willow smiled.

"Hey Claudette."

Claudette smiled at Willow then gasped and dropped the things she was carrying as she caught sight of Thiery.  "The monster!"  She gasped in her native language.  Thiery scowled at her.

"Relax Claudette… You'll see weirder things when you patrol with Buffy, I promise."  Willow told the young Slayer.

Claudette nodded uncertainly and picked Willow's things up.  She sidled inside, not turning her back on Thiery and placed Willow's things just inside the door before scuttling back out.  Giles smiled at Willow.

"We'd better be on our way."  He told her, realising how unsettled his newest charge was.  He picked up a box by his feet.  "By the way, I thought you might appreciate these."

Willow took the box from him.  "Thanks Giles."  She said with a loving smile.

The two of them hugged once more and then Giles and Claudette walked away.  Willow watched them until they were out of sight and then closed the door.

Thiery watched her from the other side of the hall as she opened the box Giles had given her.  He face lit up and she reverently lifted out a few books, examining the titles carefully before placing them back inside the box.  Silently he slipped out of the room.

Willow picked up her things and made her way to her room where she began to unpack.

She had almost finished when there was a knock on her door.

"Breakfast."  Thiery growled from the other side.

Right on cue Willow's stomach grumbled.


	5. Getting the Batteries Working

Beauty and the Beast

By Kennie Gajos

A/N 

Two chapters in one update!!!  I was in a writing mood yesterday and rather than do a college assignment I opted for fanfic writing.  Enjoy!! :-D

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Willow smiled to herself as she dialled Buffy's number.  She had to admit, her friends had been remarkably restrained for them.  Not one of them had turned up on her doorstep in the past couple of weeks demanding vengeance because she had been unable to call them.  

Call waiting.  Damn!

"Hello?"  Buffy's voice echoed through the phone.

"Buffy!"  Willow grinned.  "It's good to hear your voice."

"Willow?!"  Buffy shrieked.  "Oh my God, we were just talking about you.  Hang up and we'll conference you in."

"'Kay."  Willow hung up and sat waiting for the call back.

It came a few seconds later and she quickly picked it up.

"Hello?"  She said.

"Willow!"

"Where have you been?"

"Why haven't you called?"

"Or written?"

"What's going on?"

"Has he been withholding your phone?"

"We couldn't get through."

"It was always turned off."

"I was about to come kick some demon butt."

Willow laughed.  "Guys calm down.  I'm okay."

"Are you sure?"  Buffy asked.  "Because I'm in London.  It's only a couple of hours flight and then I can kick some serious butt."

"I'm sure."  Willow said.  "But who would have guessed that unrenovated fifteenth century castles wouldn't have electricity to charge a cell phone?"

Her statement was greeted with silence.  Then…

"You are kidding."  Said Xander.

"So what, this Terry guy had electricity installed just for you?"  Buffy asked.

"Uh, no."  Willow told them.  "He's still having a little difficulty getting his head around the concept.  I mean he's been stuck in this place for two hundred and fifty-seven years, that's a lot of history to catch up on."

"Two hundred and…"  Giles fell silent.

"Wow Wills, I'm impressed."  Said Xander.  "Your guy is actually older than one of Buffy's."

"Hey!"

"It's true."

"Wait a moment."  Buffy said, sounding thoughtful.  "If there's no electricity then how come you're talking?"

"Magic powered battery."  Willow informed her friends.  "It's lifelong so it should stay operational forever now."

"Cool."

Willow laughed.  "I've missed talking to you guys."

On the other side of Willow's bedroom door Thiery sighed and walked away.  Two weeks she'd been there and they'd done little more than argue and discuss history.  It wasn't exactly going as he'd hoped and the worst of it was that he had no one to blame but himself.  He was hideous.  It was a miracle she could even look at him, never mind stand to be in the same room as him for more than three seconds.  She was so intelligent and he was barely educated.  He wasn't worthy of her in so many ways.  It was no wonder she went running to her friends the minute she managed to get her phone working.

Thiery wandered through the castle rooms like a ghost, barely noticing his surroundings.

"Anyway guys, I'd better go.  It's my turn to cook lunch."  Willow said.

There was a chorus of groans from her friends.

"You can call me any time!"  She told them.

"Oh we will."  Buffy told her ominously. 

"And if there's any hint of our Willster not being treated right."  Xander cracked his knuckles audibly.

"Uh, quite."  Giles agreed.

"I'll talk to you guys soon."  Willow told them.  "Take care."

"You too."

"Bye."

The rest of the original Scooby Gang chorused their goodbyes and then Willow hung up, knowing that they were probably going to continue the conversation without her.  She tucked her mobile into her pocket and went down to the kitchen to prepare lunch.

Thiery noticed the smells of Willow's cooking as they wafted throughout the castle but he choose to ignore them in favour of staying where he was, not wanting to inflict his company on her.

Willow frowned.  It wasn't like Thiery to miss a meal.  She wondered if he was alright but then concluded that he would appear when he wanted to.  This wasn't the first time that he had been absent for one reason or another.  He'd show up.

By the next morning Willow was starting to realise exactly how much she relied on Thiery's company.  He was still absent and she was seriously worried about him now.  There was just one place she hadn't looked for him and she was forbidden to enter there.  Well, not so much forbidden, it was just that they had a mutual privacy policy going on.  He didn't go in her room and she didn't go in his.  Willow shrugged.  Well, that was all about to change.  She took a deep breath and knocked.

Thiery heard Willow knocking at his door.  He curled further in on himself and ignored her.  She'd go away if she thought he wasn't in there.

Willow's cell phone rang.  She jumped as though burned and then answered it.

"Hello?"

"Willow, it's me."

Willow smiled.  "Oh hey Angel, what's up?"

"I was just wondering how you were."

Willow frowned.  "You never just call me.  What's up?"  She moved away from Thiery's room towards her own.

"Well, no one's heard from you in a while and we were all getting worried."

Willow ran her hand through her hair.  "Um… didn't the others call you?"  She asked.

"Why?"

Willow sighed.  "I, uh, I spoke to them yesterday."

"Oh.  Okay.  No problem-"

"I'm sure they meant to call you Angel."

"-I wasn't that busy anyway-"

"Angel are you okay?"

"-Just running Wolfram and Hart-"

"I'm sorry Angel.  I would have called you but-"

"-Trying to do some good with an evil-"

"-Thiery's missing and I can't find him-"

"-And completely corrupt law firm and-"

"-I've looked everywhere-"

"-I've been really worried about you."

"-I'm really worried about him."

Willow and Angel stopped talking over each other at the same time.  They paused, took a moment to take in what each other had said and both laughed.

"So Thiery's missing?"  Angel asked.

Willow nodded.  "Since yesterday lunchtime.  I haven't seen him since I went to my room and managed to get my cell working."

"Where have you looked?"

"Just about everywhere except his room."

"Why haven't you looked in his room yet?"

Willow sighed.  "We have this thing where neither of us goes in the other's room.  It's kinda weird because if you think about it it's not like we don't get enough space as it is rattling round a castle.  So I checked everywhere else first.  I was about to go check his room just now."

"Oh."  Angel sounded at a loss.  "Well, I'm going to go.  I just wanted to make sure that you were okay."

Willow smiled.  "Thanks Angel.  I appreciate it."

"Give me a call if you need anything."

"Sure."  Willow had a sudden thought.  "Actually… there is something you can do."

He couldn't hear her anymore.  That was obviously a good thing.  Right?  If he couldn't hear her then he wasn't making her suffer his company.

Thiery realised that he missed Willow.  He missed her like he might miss a limb.  He had never felt that way about anyone or anything before.  So, by staying in hiding he was basically cutting off one of his limbs.  Why the hell should he do that?  

Willow walked back to Thiery's room and raised her fist to hammer on the door.  Just before it made contact with the wood, the door was thrown back and it landed instead with a resounding smack on Thiery's chest.

Willow looked up at Thiery, her eyes wide and her mouth a perfect 'O' of horror.  He glared down at her.

She ran.


	6. Evil Apples and Pears

Beauty and the Beast

By Kennie Gajos

A/N 

Hey everyone!  Sorry it's been a while but my aunt and my godson both decided that they were going to get seriously ill and go into hospital.  And of course it had to be two different hospitals didn't it!!  *lol*  Oh well, they're both out now and much better… I'm the one that wants to go in for a rest now!  I've spent all of my time this week either in college or in a hospital.  Time for bed I think!  *lol*  Anyway, I thought I'd update now because I don't know when I'm going to wake up (next week hopefully) so here it is (well, it's below my notes to specific people anyway) enjoy and please don't forget to review!!  (Please?)

Vivid Butterfly:  I'm trying to work out a way to fit Blondie Bear into this as I type…  I think I may have an inkling of an idea, but I'm going to have to sit down and have some serious words with my plotline to see if it agrees (it's 12 pages long so far!!).

Blondie001:  I'm glad that you're enjoying the fic and thank you so much for your lovely comments!

A Watcher:  Hi!  Lots of reviews!  I like lots of reviews.  Um, in order then…  Have you ever tried riding a motorbike when not in leathers?  I don't recommend it, especially if you fall off.  Basically the reason Willow's wearing leather is because it's safer not because she gets a kinky kick out of it.  Although saying that…  *lol*  Thiery means 'Ruler of the People' and is of French origin.  I'm obsessed with names too.  Can you tell?  The candle idea was actually incredibly hard to come up with because my head just kept throwing that darn rose at my.  But I wanted to be original so I just kept telling it 'no'!  I'll try and work in a reference as to which books they are but it won't be for a while I'm afraid.  And you should find out what it was she asked Angel in a couple of chapters!  Hope you continue to like the story!

Carmen Aurora:  Oh darn it, I was actually going for tragic.  Too late now, I'll just try and hit comic more often.

Dark Topaz:  Witness more!  :-D

On with the fic!!

Thiery stared after the retreating redhead for a split second before pursuing her.  

"Willow, wait!"  He called after her.

Willow sped up, negotiating the twists and turns of the castle with surprising agility.  Thiery recognised her direction before she did and tried his hardest to gain on her before she reached the front doors.

"Willow!"  He called again.

He lost sight of her just before the Entrance Hall and when he reached it the doors were standing open.  He raced through them, not bothering to look around the hall before he did.  If he had he would have noticed a suspicious bulge in one of the curtains and a piece of fabric from Willow's clothing peeking out of the side of said curtains.

Willow's head popped out of the curtains and she took off at a run again, grabbing her mobile phone.  She put it back again immediately, realising that there was no one she could call who wouldn't immediately race to kill Thiery.  And that was most definitely _not_ what she wanted.  Despite appearances Thiery was her friend.  She heard him in the distance behind her but didn't bother to increase her pace.  There was no point, she was getting tired anyway and she might as well save all her energy for that vital last sprint.  Living in Sunnydale had long ago taught her that it didn't matter how close the chase got before you made it _as long as you made it_.

Thiery couldn't believe it, somehow she'd doubled back on him.  He increased his speed still further, determined to catch her before she did some serious damage to herself.

But it was too late.

Willow tripped on the uneven dungeon staircase and fell all the way to the bottom.

Thiery's heart plummeted with her.  He saw her begin to fall, stretched out a paw to try and catch her and missed by a hairsbreadth.  He raced to the foot of the stairs and to her side.

"Willow?"  He asked softly, running his paws along her limbs to check for breaks.

Nothing obvious.  He smoothed her hair away from her face and revealed a livid bruise on her forehead.  He sucked a breath in between his teeth and gingerly picked her up.  He cradled her unconscious body to his chest and slowly made his way to her room.

Someone a long way away was talking.  To himself.  Willow made a effort to concentrate on what they were saying.

"She hurt her head… No I did not hurt her, she fell… down the dungeon stairs… I did not push her, she fell… I was not going to lock her up… she was running… she hit me and ran… no I did not say anything… it was an accident… _both_… what do I _do_?"

Her head hurt.  A lot.  Willow moaned.

"Willow?"  Asked the voice.

She moaned again.

"She is awake.  I will call you again."

The side of her mattress depressed a little and a furry hand gently smoothed her hair.

"Willow?"  The voice asked again.  "Are you awake?"

"Mm-hmm."  Willow murmured affirmatively.

"Speak to me Willow.  Open your eyes."

Willow fluttered her eyelids and hoped that would appease the man.  Her head _really_ hurt.

"Open your eyes Willow.  For me?"

Willow sighed and forced her eyelids up slightly.  Colours burst in upon her retinas forcing the mean men inside her head to switch up from jackhammers to hydraulic drills.  Squinting she focused on a familiar face.  

"Thiery."  She whispered.  "I'm sorry.  Did I hurt you?"

Thiery pulled her covers up higher.  "Do not worry.  It would take more than that to make me hurt.  I was worried for you."

"I'm gonna be fine."  Willow informed him.  "I'm just gonna sleep for a bit."  And with that she slipped into blissful slumber.

It was night-time when Willow awoke again.  Her gaze travelled the length of the room, taking in the single candle placed far enough away from the bed so as not to hurt her eyes but close enough to shed adequate light upon the scene and a glass of water left on her bedside table.  She smiled at Thiery's thoughtfulness.  

The door to her room opened and the object of her thoughts entered, carrying a tray.

He stopped when he saw that she was awake and smiled sheepishly.  "I bring food."  He told her.

Willow nodded and then swallowed as the pain in her head flared up.  She kept perfectly still and it went as quickly as it had flared up.  Gently, she pushed herself up against her pillows.  Thiery placed the tray on her lap and sat on a chair beside her bed.

Willow waited until he had finished fussing over her and leant back before beginning to eat.

"I was worried about you."  She told him.

Thiery smiled at her.  "I told you.  I am fine.  You did not hurt me."

Willow frowned.  "No you idiot.  When you disappeared on me.  I couldn't find you."

"I am sorry."  Thiery told her.  "I needed to think.  I am used to being alone you see."

Willow struggled to conceal her hurt.  "Oh.  Well.  Don't worry.  I'll keep well out of your way in the future.  You don't need to worry about me intruding on your precious solitude."

"No, no Willow.  You misunderstand."  Thiery leaned forward.  "I like it when you are here.  I just needed to think about some things.  I am sorry if I scared you, it was not my intention."  

Willow stared at him.  "If you're sure."

"I am."

"So what were you thinking about?"  Willow asked him.

Thiery cast around desperately for an excuse.  "Um… er… I'd really rather not say."

Willow looked crushed.  "I see."

Searching for inspiration Thiery looked out of Willow's window and into the darkness without.  A few white crystals fell lazily out of the sky.

"I… I was thinking about Christmas."  Thiery explained.

"Christmas?"  Willow looked sceptical.

Thiery rushed into his explanation.  "When you told me about it last week I began to think about it.  Would you like your friends to come here?"

Willow's eyes lit up.  "Yes! Are you sure?  It would be fantastic.  They'd all have a chance to get to know you and fin out that you're not evil.  And we could invite Claudette too and she could see that you're not an ogre!  If we start tomorrow then we can get the castle all cleaned and decorated in time."

Thiery smiled at her.  "Tomorrow you rest.  I will clean.  Rest now.  We have a busy time in front of us."

Willow smiled her agreement and slipped under the covers while Thiery removed the tray.


	7. Fashion Faux Pas

Beauty and the Beast

By Kennie Gajos

A/N 

*Snickers*  So peeps, it's time to find out exactly _what_ Willow asked Angel to arrange!

As always, reviews are received with much joyous celebrating.  So please go ahead.  Pretty please?

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A few days later a loud knock sounded at the door.  Willow and Thiery stopped pulling down drapes in the ballroom to stare puzzled at one another for a moment before Willow clapped a hand to her head.

"Ow!"  She said, remembering the fading bruise on her temple.  "Thiery, I'm sorry, I completely forgot."

"Forgot what?"  Thiery asked her as another knock sounded at the door.

"I asked Angel to send some people out to give us a hand."

Thiery frowned.  "What kind of people?  Should I hide?"

Willow laughed.  "Definitely not.  Come and see."

Thiery stared at the people assembled at his front door.  They weren't cowering in terror, which was definitely a plus.  On the other hand they weren't exactly the kind of people he would have expected this… Angel to send after being told that he was a vampire in charge of a demonic law firm.

"Hello darlings, hello!"  Exclaimed the man in front.

Thiery looked at him doubtfully.  What ever he was it certainly wasn't normal.  He had the kind of long hair that hadn't even been fashionable back when he had had hair instead of fur.  On top of this the man was wearing some sort of floppy white shirt and… were they _leather_ trousers?

"I am Georges!"  The man said, handing out a white card to Thiery, Willow and one of his entourage.

"Georges' Supernatural Renovations."  Willow read out from her card.  "A Wolfram and Hart Subdivision."  She looked at Georges.

"You must be Willow."  Georges told her.  "Those eyes, that hair… fabulous darling!  But lets see if Luca can't make it any more fabulous, sì?"   He turned his attention to Thiery.  "And this hunk of tall, dark and furry must be Thiery."  He looked Thiery up and down.  "A trim, a bath and an entirely new wardrobe I think Simone.  Wouldn't you agree?"  Georges turned back to Willow.

Caught on the spot all she could do was look helplessly at Thiery.

Several hours later Willow and Thiery were trapped at the great dining table whilst Georges' team threw various samples, watercolours, swatches and fashion palates at them.  Every now and then Georges would snatch one out of their hands and scold the team member responsible for giving it to them.

Willow caught Thiery's eye.  "I'm sorry."  She mouthed to him, looking upset.  

Thiery smiled.  "It is okay."  He mouthed back to her.

Just then, Willow's phone rang and she stood, making her apologies to Thiery and the Team who only took advantage of her absence to push more and more things into Thiery's hands.  Finally he snapped.

"Enough!"  He roared, springing to his feet.  "The castle is fine as it is, I am fine as I am and _Willow_ is certainly fine as she is!"

"Actually," Willow said, re-entering the room.  "I could do with a hair cut.  And wearing the same clothes every week is growing beyond old."

"Fine."  Thiery said, an undercurrent of menace in his voice as he stared at Georges and his Team.  "Whatever Willow wants, Willow gets.  I do not wish for any involvement.  Speak to her."

With that he stalked from the room.  Willow hesitated for a moment and then chased after him.

"Thiery, wait!"  Willow called down the corridor.

With a snort Thiery halted and waited for her to catch up.

"I'm sorry, Thiery."  Willow said softly.  "I didn't realise what they'd be like.  I just wanted you to be able to experience all mod cons.  I mean, hot baths, and showers and television.  You've been cooped up here so long that the world has passed you by.  I wanted to give you a chance to catch up."

"It is not you Willow."  Thiery said softly.  "It is them.  They are saying that we are not good enough.  I may not be but you most certainly are.  I cannot stay in that room while they talk about you in such a manner therefore I shall go and leave the decisions to you.  You may do whatever you wish.  This castle is your home too."  That said Thiery stalked off.

Willow watched him go before turning back to look at the entrance to the dining room.  Her eyes narrowed and her resolve face came into play.  She stalked towards the doors and threw them back with a loud crash.

"Okay people, this is how it's going to be."

Thiery sat perched on the ruins of what had once been his bed.  That had been, what?  One century maybe two centuries ago?  Time had begun to blur after a while.  Until she had arrived.  How dare those people talk about her as though she was inferior to them?  Didn't they know who she was?  She was _Willow_.  One of a kind and containing more power in a single strand of her hair than any of them possessed in their entire bodies.  Not that she liked to use it though.  Only when it was absolutely required to prevent the castle from falling down. Not only that, but she was also good and kind and compassionate.  She cared more about others than herself.  She wasn't just beautiful on the outside, but on the inside as well and _that_ was a true rarity.  Someone like him didn't deserve someone like her in his life.  He'd forced her there, held her against her will, caged her like the animal _he_ was.

"I want you to fix the castle not refurbish it.  Drag it into the twentieth century.  That means electric, plumbing, gas, telephones, central heating and some form of double glazing that keeps the windows looking original.  Clean it from top to bottom.  Any furnishings beyond salvaging replace exactly as they are, restore everything else.  As for Thiery, he gets the same style clothing as he always wears, but with no rips.  He's also going to need a suit for a ball because I intend to hold one on Christmas Eve.  I would also like assorted ballgowns and evening suits for the guests who will be staying over Christmas, I'll provide you with the measurements later.  Me?  Trim the hair and show me some fashion catalogues.  Is that understood?"  Willow demanded, coming down from her hyper-rant.

Georges and Team blinked.  Suddenly, Georges clapped his hands together.  "You heard her darlings.  Make it so!"

Suddenly there were people running everywhere.  Out of the chaos, Georges popped himself down in a chair next to Willow.

"So…"  He said.  "Hot chocolate?"

____________________________________________________________________________________

ADDITIONAL A/N 

Just think of Georges as Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen on crack cocaine.   *lol*  Can you tell where I pulled my inspiration from?

For the non-Brits reading this who have no idea who LLB is, he's a designer on a DIY program where neighbours do up a room in each others houses.  Think of the most over the top person you can think of, times it by eight, give them a degree in Interior Design and stick 'em in a frilly shirt.  _That's_  Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen!


	8. Of Paintings and Candles

Beauty and the Beast

By Kennie Gajos

A/N 

Just a short chappy to get a few things out of the way.  I would post more but I'm sick.  *pouts*  I _hate_ being ill.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Over the next few days, Willow got to know Georges pretty well.  Rather than leaving her in the hands of one of his stylists he had decided to take her onboard himself, insisting that she was one of the few clients he had ever had who actually exhibited 'style'.  Willow found that particularly hard to believe but opted to let it slide as Georges had also stopped calling her 'darling', something which one of his flunkies confided that he only did to people he held the utmost respect for.  On the other hand however, she barely had time to see Thiery and she found that she missed him acutely.  It was difficult to make the transition from practically a recluse to the hub of attention and she began to understand just what it was that Thiery was sacrificing so that she could be with her friends for Christmas.  Something that he knew would make her happy.

And there was something that gave _her_ considerable pause for thought.  Everything that Thiery had done since she had agreed to stay here appeared to have been done with the sole intention of making her happy.  And if that wasn't a juxtaposition then she didn't know what was.  By imprisoning her he had made her unhappy, but had then attempted to make amends.  The only reason that she could think of was that he had a nefarious plot in mind… something that she _really_ doubted!

Finally it came to the last day of Georges' stay and there was just one room left to complete.  Thiery's.

Willow knocked gently on Thiery's door.  It swung open and there he stood.  Willow gazed up at him, wondering how she could have ever been afraid of him.

"Yes?"  Thiery asked.

Willow shifted nervously.  "So, Georges and co. are leaving tomorrow."

Thiery nodded.

"There's just one more thing I'd like them to do before they go."  She explained.

"What is that?"

Willow peered beyond him into the wreckage of his room.  "I'll supervise them really closely.  Make sure they don't break… anything."

"No Willow."  Thiery told her.

"You can't carry on living like this Thiery."

Thiery frowned.  "I can do whatever I wish."

"Where do you sleep?"  Willow demanded to know.

Thiery glanced quickly at a bundle of blankets in a corner.  Willow followed his gaze and her resolve face softened a little.

"You see what I mean?"  She asked.  "You deserve a bed, like any other person."

"I am not a person."  Thiery reminded her.

Willow smiled gently at him.  "You are to me."

Thiery growled exasperatedly and stood aside.  Willow beckoned and Georges and five of his Team shot inside, quickly followed by Willow.

Thiery growled again and slammed the door shut.

The Team members examined the room, giving little whimpers of dismay whenever they found something that had been particularly destroyed.

Willow positioned herself in front of the Candle and motioned for Thiery to join her.  She positioned a hand in front of her and a glimmering golden shield enclosed the two of them and the Candle.  Once it was in place she relaxed.

Georges clapped his hands for attention.  "Okay darlings!"  He announced.  "This isn't unfixable.  Get to work."

Thiery watched, amazed as the Team members set about repairing the room with magic.  A chair leg shot towards them and he automatically ducked, but it bounced off Willow's shield and reattached itself to the chair.  He glanced at Willow to see if she had noticed but found her attention was focused completely on the Candle.

"There's not much left."  She whispered.

Thiery shrugged.  "There's enough."  He focused on what the others were doing to his room and had to admit that he was impressed.  One of them finished repairing his bed and turned to the portrait above the mantel.  He snarled and then jumped as something touched his arm.  He looked down at Willow's hand then up at her face.

"I'll move it to the attic as soon as they're done."  She told him.

Thiery growled a little. He supposed that was better than it staying there to mock him.

The group finished their work and left the room.  Willow and Thiery turned to face one another behind the shimmering gold of the shield.

"Thank you."  Willow said, staring straight into Thiery's eyes.

Thiery's world felt like it had just gained wings for some reason, like he was floating on air.

"No."  He corrected her.  "Thank _you_."

Willow blushed as she dismantled her shield and turned to go.

"Willow."  Thiery said, stopping her in her tracks.  "I… It's my turn to make dinner tonight."

Willow nodded and left the room.

____________________________________________________________________________________

A/N

Hey, guess what!  It's a Scooby Christmas next!


	9. Arrivals

Beauty and the Beast

By Kennie Gajos

In a small sleepy village in the middle of France, two cars pulled up outside an inn.  Seven people clambered out of them and milled around, attracting glances from passers-by.  One of them, one that the villagers recognised as one of their own, looked carefully around before following the others into the inn.

Claudette joined the others around a large table and gratefully accepted a coke from Xander.  Being back in the village brought home just how insular her life had been before she had met Willow and Giles.  And now Willow was trapped in an even more insular life with only a hideous and hungry beast for company.

"What are we going to do about the monster?"  She asked the group.

They exchanged a glance amongst themselves.

"His name's Thiery."  Faith reminded her.

Giles shrugged.  "According to Angel, we can't take her away without breaking the contract she made with him."

"Which would involve leaving the Head Watcher behind."  Xander pointed out.

"So we can't do anything."  Dawn said.

"Unless we see him hurting her in any way, which is when I bring a whole new meaning to the term 'slaying'."  Buffy said with a satisfied glint in her eye.

Faith shrugged.  "She's says he's five by five."

"Well I reckon she's got that Zurich thingy."  Xander said with a scowl.

"You mean Stockholm Syndrome."  Giles informed him.  "She may have, however, we'll learn more once we're there."  He looked at his watch.  "We have a few hours until Angel and the others arrive.  We could ask around, find out what the other villagers know about Thiery."

"Sounds like a plan."  Faith commented.

"We should split into groups."  Xander suggested.  "We could cover more ground that way.  Bags I with someone who speaks French."

"Okay."  Buffy agreed.  "Faith and Robin, you two go together.  Dawn speaks pretty good French, so you go with her Xander.  And Giles, Claudette and I will team up.  We'll meet back here at seven."

The others agreed and they each went their individual ways.

Buffy, Giles and Claudette stood by the fountain in the centre of the Main Square.

"So where do we start?"  Buffy asked Giles.

"Well, uh."  Giles thought.  "Perhaps we should ask the oldest inhabitant of the village.  She may remember some aspects to the story of the beast that the others don't."

Claudette nodded.  "That would be my Great-Grandmother."  She started walking purposefully away and Buffy and Giles followed her.

Claudette knocked on her Great-Grandmother's door and waited.  It always took her a while to answer the door as she wasn't very fast nowadays.  The door was opened quicker than she had expected and there stood Claudette's mother.

"Maman!"  Claudette cried and hugged her tightly.

"Thank goodness you're here."  Claudette's mother told her in French.  "I was worried that you would miss her."

"Miss who?"  Claudette asked, barely noticing Giles quietly translating her conversation for Buffy's benefit.

Claudette's mother sighed.  "It's Grand-mère, she's dying."

Claudette gasped and pushed past her mother into her Great-Grandmother's bedroom, Buffy and Giles following.

A very old and small woman lay in the middle of a double bed, her chest rising up and down with laboured breaths.  Claudette knelt down at the side of the bed and took her Great-Grandmother's hand.  The old woman turned to look at her.

"Claudette."  She whispered.

"I'm here Grand-mère."  Claudette told her as her mother came into the room.

The old woman coughed.  "It's good.  I have something I need to tell you and your mother."

"Don't speak."  Claudette's mother told her.  "Save your strength."

"What for?  I'm dying.  We all know that.  No, I must tell you… about the monster."

Giles paused in his translating and then quickly continued.

The old woman took a deep breath.  "The story of the beast is true.  He lives in the castle."

Claudette's mother gasped.  "Non!" 

"I know."  Claudette said.

"How do you know?"  Her mother asked.

Claudette shrugged.  "I saw him once."

While Claudette's mother gaped, her Great-Grandmother continued.  "Many centuries ago a handsome young man lived in the castle.  But for all his looks and charm he was a heartless brute.  One day an old beggar woman knocked on the castle door and asked for shelter.  The man refused and the woman looked into his heart and saw that all it contained was love for himself.  She cast a spell on the man."  She paused to cough weakly.  Claudette held a glass of water out to her and she sipped it.  "She turned him into a monster and gave him an enchanted candle.  If the candle was to ever go out then he would die.  Eventually it would burn out naturally and when that happened he was also die.  But there was a condition attached to the spell.  If he should ever fall in love and the woman returned his love then the spell would be broken and he would return to himself."

Buffy and Giles exchanged a glance as the old woman leant back on the pillows.

"It's good to see you again Claudette."  She said.  "We have missed you."

Claudette smiled at her.  "I've missed you too Grand-mère."

The old woman smiled back at her, sighing softly.  Her eyelashes lowered and, at peace with herself and the world, she died.

A few hours later Willow and Thiery stood in the Entrance Hall waiting for her friends to arrive.  Thiery glanced at Willow, imagining her reaction when he set her free.  Would she leave straightaway or when her friends planned to?  He hoped she would stay for a while.  A knock on the castle doors pulled him from his thoughts and he opened them with another glance at Willow as she stood, bouncing with excitement in the middle of the Entrance Hall.

A small blonde hurricane shot into the castle, dropping two suitcases and zooming over to Willow, pulling her into a hug.  She was quickly followed by a procession of people who all did the same.

Thiery closed the door and growled a little in jealousy as he noticed Willow hugging several men.  The group turned their attention to him.

"Guys, this is Thiery."  Willow introduced him.  "Thiery, this is Buffy and Xander and Angel, Fred, Lorne, Faith, Robin, Gunn, Dawn, Wesley, Kennedy, Vi and Mona.  You know Claudette and Giles already."  She said, pointing to each person in turn.

Thiery looked past the smiles on their faces and saw the mixture of distrust and disgust at his appearance in their eyes.  "Hello."  He told them.  "Welcome to the castle.  Willow will show you to your rooms.  Please excuse me."  He bounded up the stairs to the sanctuary of his room.

Willow watched him go, concerned for her friend.  She remembered her other friends and turned her attention back to them.

After dinner the core members of the Scooby Gang pleaded tiredness and went to Buffy's room for a conference, leaving the others with instructions to keep Willow occupied until she decided to go to bed. 

"So what do we think of Thiery?"  Buffy asked the others, sitting cross-legged against the headboard of her bed.

"He's quiet, that's for sure."  Faith said.

"Did he actually say anything at all during dinner?"  Dawn asked.

Angel leant against the wall. "Not a word."

"Did anyone actually find anything out about him?" Xander asked.

Faith shrugged.  "Nada."

Buffy and Giles looked at each other.

"Actually, we found something out."  Buffy said.  "Quite a bit in fact."

"It would seem that Thiery used to be human."  Giles informed them.  "A spoiled and selfish one, but still a human."

Buffy nodded.  "Then this witch laid a whammy on him for being mean.  Turned him the way he is and gave him as long as a candle burns to live."  The others frowned.

"As long as a candle burns?"  Dawn asked.  "Why isn't he dead already?"

"It depends how long the candle is I guess."  Buffy said.

"Or how slowly it burns."  Angel commented.

"Anyway, when the candle goes out Thiery will die."  Giles explained.

"Yeah, unless someone falls in love with him."  Buffy continued.  "Then he turns back to a human."

"So what do we reckon?  He's trying to get Willow to fall in love with him so he can break the spell?"  Faith asked.

Dawn frowned.  "But Willow's gay."

Xander suddenly laughed.  "I so want to see his face when he finds out!"

Elsewhere in the castle, Kennedy pulled Willow to one side.

"Can we talk?"  She saw Willow glance around the crowded room.  "In private."

Willow nodded.  "Sure."  She lead the way out of the room and into the study.  "What is it?"

"It's about us."  Kennedy said in her forthright way.

Willow nodded, knowing intuitively what was coming next.

"I think we should break up."

"I agree."  Willow told her former lover.

"We haven't talked to each other in months and what with you stuck here we'll never see each other and to be honest, my feelings for you have changed.  I think of you more as a friend instead of a girlfriend… did you just agree?"  Kennedy asked, her brain finally registering what Willow had said.

Willow nodded.  "You're right."  She smiled.  "Is there anyone else?"

"No!"  Kennedy said vehemently.  Willow looked at her.  "Okay."  She admitted.  "There is someone I like… In that way.  But nothing's happened."

"Who is it?"  Willow asked.

"Vi."

Willow grinned.  "She's cute.  I approve."

Kennedy smiled back at her. "So… friends?"

"Friends!"  Willow agreed decisively.

Thiery perched on his balcony railings, staring pensively down into the darkened grounds, unaware of the various meetings taking place all over the castle. 


	10. Melancholy Confidences

Bright sunshine flowed into the room, flooding every inch of it and awakening the occupant. Willow yawned and stretched before checking the time. She was only moderately surprised to see that it was quite late, after all she had taken her time in going to bed yesterday evening. She slipped out of her bed and crossed to the window to look out over the gardens. A light sprinkling of snow had fallen in the night, something which wasn't deterring Buffy and the other Slayers from their usual morning exercises. Here and there in the gardens Slayers were sparring one on one, two on one and even three on one, all under Buffy's supervision. Willow smiled slightly as she turned away to get dressed and prepare breakfast. From her experience of Slayers she knew that they would all be ravenous when they came in. While dressing she made a mental note to tell Xander and Giles to make sure that the Slayer School kitchens were large and that the cooks were excellent.

She had just finished dressing when she was surprised by the sound of the kitchen gong. She hurried down the stairs to discover Andrew, outfitted in an apron and chefs hat setting food on the dining room table and the Slayers already helping themselves. They were quickly joined by the others but of Thiery there was no sign.

He didn't show for lunch, or for dinner. In fact there was no sign of him at all. Willow kept meaning to look for him but every time she mentioned it she was swiftly distracted by one of her friends, all of whom were only too pleased that Thiery wasn't around. In fact, their exuberance wore Willow out so much that she went to bed early without having seen Thiery once that day. Once Willow had gone to bed and there was no longer any need to keep distracting her, the group of friends soon split into several groups. The younger Slayers and Gunn went off, Fred and Wesley headed to the library and the original Scooby Gang made themselves comfortable in the drawing room, enjoying the sensation of all being in the same place and able to catch up on each others gossip. Near midnight, returning from the toilet, Dawn glanced through an open doorway. What she saw sent her rushing back to the drawing room where she disrupted a discussion comparing American confectionery to British.

"Kennedy and Vi are kissing!" She exclaimed.

Expressions of outrage and shock reverberated around the room and Xander had to be physically restrained from finding a shovel and going after the perfidious pair. The conversation quickly turned to the best way to break the news to Willow and confront Kennedy. Unnoticed, Claudette slipped from the room.

She headed upstairs and continued going up until she reached the roofs. There, under the light of the pale moon she indulged in a guiltfest. The reason for her guilt was clear to her mind. If it hadn't been for her then Willow and Giles would never have come to her village. Giles would never have been captured by the beast and Willow would never have taken his place. Had that not happened then Kennedy and Willow would have been together and Kennedy wouldn't have turned to someone else. She sighed miserably.

"What's wrong?" A gruff voice asked.

Claudette shrieked, jumping up and whirling round to come face to face with Thiery. She slipped on the melted snow, turned to ice with nightfall and began to slide towards the edge. She screamed as she reached it and fell.

Only to be grabbed in the nick of time and hauled back up onto the roof.

"Careful." Theiry told the young girl. "It is slippery up here."

Claudette gasped for breath and nodded her agreement.

"I know why I am here but why are you?" Theiry asked.

Claudette pushed herself into a sitting position and considered carefully before answering. Everything she had heard about the beast had painted him in a black light. But he had just saved her life and seemed to genuinely care. Should she cause him more pain by telling him that his actions were causing Willow pain and that she felt guilt for that fact. And Willow certainly seemed happy enough – it was her friends who were convinced that she wasn't.

"I needed to get away from the crowd." She answered him in her native French. "Just for a short while I needed to be by myself. To think. My Great-Grandmother died yesterday and I wanted to make sure that I honoured her memory."

Thiery nodded and sat down beside her. Claudette took a deep breath and stared at the distant village lights, just visible above the tree-tops. "Willow missed you today." She told him. "I think that after we leave she will need your support. Something's happened tonight that's going to affect her badly."

Thiery frowned, deeply concerned. "What has happened?" He asked.

"Her lover was seen kissing someone else." Claudette told him.

"Willow has a lover?"

Claudette nodded. "She and Kennedy have been together for just over a year now. Tara, her last lover, was murdered. I don't know how she'll react when she finds out about Kennedy." She glanced at Theiry. He looked flabbergasted. Claudette realised that he hadn't known that Willow was gay.

"How is this common knowledge?" He asked. "Surely she and her friends would keep such information to themselves. Such a relationship is illegal and should she be discovered the penalties would be harsh and I would not wish her to suffer them. How is it that you all seem to know? Forgive me, but Willow barely knows you. How is it that you are confided in?"

Claudette was touched that his first thought was for Willow's safety rather than himself. She had seen a little of his behaviour towards her the day before and had come to the conclusion that he felt a deep affection for the red-headed witch at the very least.

"Times have changed." She explained to him. "Homosexual love is no longer a crime although some people do still frown upon it. Willow is in no danger by openly admitting that she is attracted to those of the same sex."

"I see."

Claudette laid a gentle hand on his arm. "I'm sorry."

"Why?" Theiry asked in surprise.

"My Great-Grandmother was the elder of the village. When I visited her on her deathbed she told me of the spell that was cast upon you. I'm sorry that Willow will not be the one to help you break the curse."

Theiry smiled sadly. "In truth I never expected her to be. I hoped but I did not expect. She is so beautiful and I am so..." He paused. "Now I know that she will not be and that the curse will lay upon me until I die. I will be content just to be near her until that happens. It will not be long now. All I ask is that she remain with me until the end."

Claudette nodded, very close to tears. "Will you..." She cleared her throat. "Will you join us for breakfast tomorrow?"

"Like you now, I do not think that I could face the crowd."

"It'll be Christmas Eve." Claudette told him. "And Willow would want you to."

"Then for her sake I shall be there."

Claudette smiled at the beast she was coming to think of as a person and left him to his solitude, returning to her room to cry at the memory of his hopeless resignation.


End file.
